Functional expression of a bacterial heavy metal transporter in Arabidopsis enhances resistance to and decreases uptake of heavy metals.
Plant Physiol
; 133(2): 589-96, 2003 Oct.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-14512517
ABSTRACT
Large parts of agricultural soil are contaminated with lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). Although most environments are not heavily contaminated, the low levels observed nonetheless pose a high risk of heavy metal accumulation in the food chain. Therefore, approaches to develop plants with reduced heavy metal uptake are important. Recently, many transgenic plants with increased heavy metal resistance and uptake of heavy metals were developed for the purpose of phytoremediation. However, to reduce heavy metal in the food chain, plants that transfer less heavy metals to the shoot are required. We tested whether an Escherichia coli gene, ZntA, which encodes a Pb(II)/Cd(II)/Zn(II) pump, could be useful for developing plants with reduced heavy metal content. Yeast cells transformed with this gene had improved resistance to Pb(II) and Cd(II). In Arabidopsis plants transformed with ZntA, ZntA was localized at the plasma membrane and improved the resistance of the plants to Pb(II) and Cd(II). The shoots of the transgenic plants had decreased Pb and Cd content. Moreover, the transgenic protoplasts showed lower accumulation of Cd and faster release of preloaded Cd than wild-type protoplasts. These results show that a bacterial transporter gene, ZntA, can be functionally expressed in plant cells, and that that it may be useful for the development of crop plants that are safe from heavy metal contamination.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Arabidopsis
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Adenosina Trifosfatases
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Metais Pesados
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Proteínas de Transporte de Cátions
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2003
Tipo de documento:
Article